The Most Important Social Media Trends for 2025

Social media is a hugely competitive field. So, if you hope to stay relevant, make sure you know all the current social media trends to pick the right ones for your business.

Most of us know first-hand what a vital role social media plays in our everyday lives. But beyond sharing memes and connecting with people, social media is one of the most (if not the most) powerful digital marketing channels. 

In 2024, over half of the world’s population used social media, spending an average of 2 hours and 20 minutes a day on these platforms. That's pretty promising statistics for virtually any business. 

Still, just as you are on social media, so are your competitors. Although the time spent on social media is higher, engagement rates are going down. According to some sources, two of the biggest social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram, have experienced 9% and 29% lower engagement rates last year.

So, in order to keep your business relevant and your target audiences engaged, you need to stay on top of the current trends, and create content that will delight even the most jaded (experienced) user.

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Top 2025 social media trends

Without further ado - here are some major (and not so major) changes you can expect in 2025.

Long-form content is making a comeback on YouTube.

For years, we’ve been citing statistics on people’s decreasing attention spans, and the domination of short-forms that came as a consequence.

TikTok has in a relatively short period of time become the leader of short-form video content that’s especially popular with younger audiences (gen Z, but also millennials). 

However, there’s at least one social media platform, where long-form videos are making a comeback. Since many people now watch YouTube on their TV sets, rather than phones, it makes sense that a lot of content creators are switching to much longer videos (often 20+ minutes). 

Of course, YouTube shorts will remain a popular way of repurposing content, but long-form will definitely be the focus of content creation on this platform. 

Different content forms (end of video domination)

Speaking of videos, the days where this was the only content format that mattered are over.

As you’ll see (most notably on Instagram), other content formats are making a comebak, such as single images and carousels consisting of images and videos.

This is great news for brands, as this means they can get even more creative in using design for their social media. For example, you’ll see lots of brands creating these carousels that don’t promote products or services directly, but provide insightful topics relevant to their customers.

Here’s a great example from the period care line Lola.

Brands participate in conversations

For years, brands on social media have been the passive producers of social media content. This is rapidly changing as you’ll see brands take a proactive approach.

And we’re not just talking about sharing user generated content (UGC), which has been the staple for brands such as Apple and GoPro.

Instead, you’ll see brands commenting on other people’s posts, and sharing relevant updates from other brands and companies. If you’re yet to devise your social media strategy for this real, be sure to list brands and creators that would make organic partners for your brand, and keep 

Creativity trumps consistency

Consistency is everything in branding. We’re certainly guilty of trying to hone that message. 

However, this is another aspect of the social media landscape where 2025 is about to bring some major shifts.

With the constant need for fresh, exciting content, brands are now praised for thinking outside the box and experimenting with messaging on their social media. 

Creative hooks

If you didn’t get it already, most of the 2025 social media trends are about earning that precious speck of attention from the jaded social media user. 

If you’ve been scrolling through Instagram or TikTok lately, you might have noticed a clever trick many content creators use. 

We’re talking about multilayered hooks, e.g. combination of video, audio, and text prompts at the beginning of the video. 

AI technology is expanding

One of the biggest 2024 social media trends was the introduction of AI. While last year was still considered AI’s test run in the world of social media, we’re starting this year with AI in full blast.

While many are still concerned over the implications of (over)using AI technology, AI for social media can really help you boost your content production and automate certain tasks. 

One great idea for creating trending social media post design is to post AI graphics and then ask your followers for opinions. This is a hot topic nowadays and there’s a good chance people will love to chime in on the discussion. 

For example, this design agency shared how their own designer utilized AI to respond to a brief. It may seem counterintuitive for a design or creative agency to utilize AI graphics. But AI tools are here to stay, so it’s really a question of how well businesses and marketers will use them to their advantage. 

Social media as search engines

For years social media and SEO efforts have been considered two distinct categories. However, as more and more people use social media as search engines, it’s wise to apply the lessons from one onto the other. 

So, how to optimize your social media for search engines? Here are a few ideas.

• Using the right keywords in your posts, as well as hashtags is important. This is another area in which using AI tools can help.
• Posting consistently (see more on that below) will favor your profiles with search algorithms (same as a well-kept blog on your site).
• Clickable links from relevant and reputable sites can help your content appear in search results more easily.
• Utilize location tagging to reach audiences looking for businesses in your area.

Entertainment over promotion

According to Hootsuite’s report, over half of the respondents created the majority of their content (60%) to educate, inform, or educate. Even more interestingly, a quarter of the respondents dedicated 80-100% of their content to entertainment/education rather than product promotion.

So, while social ecommerce is definitely here to stay, organic reach and even ROI is also achieved with high-quality content that will keep users entertained.  

Social listening for choosing the right trends

Let’s finish this section with a trend to rule all others.

Social listening has been an important trend for several years now. In a nutshell, it means brands are encouraged to take an active interest in their communities, to proactively seek insights and feedback and adapt from it.

This will continue in 2025, and gain even more importance.

New trends emerge all the time and pass fairly quickly (I feel like brat summer was ages ago). And one reason for trends fizzling out much faster than before is that brands aren’t as selective about which trends to follow and which ones to pass.

Social media listening will allow brands to understand what is trending, how audiences are responding to it, and what might already be passing its peak.

One of the best examples of this is Dunkin’s partnership with Ben Affleck. The actor was pictured countless times looking miserable with a large Dunkin cup of coffee. This became an internet sensation, so the brand made a smart move and got the actor to star in one of their commercials. 

More is more

According to Hootsuite’s definitive 2025 social media trends predictions, this is the optimal posting frequency for each platform.

The good news is that even with these many posts you might not need to up your social media budget drastically. Utilizing AI technology for social post creation and copywriting can streamline your workflow and help you post more often.

If you need help with social media graphics, monthly design services like ManyPixels are a terrific option.

Pay a single monthly fee and get unlimited requests and revisions, and access to a whole team of designers. Whether you need a custom post, or handy social media templates that you can use as you please, we can help! 

Data-driven personalization

While 2025 is undoubtedly the year for experimentation, it’s equally important to utilize data insights wisely.

AI can yet again be a great ally here for processing and analyzing data in real-time (e.g. with ephemeral content like stories, snaps, etc.).

Personalization has long–been an important aspect of driving conversions, and this year you’ll need to double down. From ads, to forms, and social post captions, make sure you take a deep dive into data to see what works, and what doesn’t. 

UGC and EGC will become even bigger

User-generated content (UGC) has long been the vital ingredient of a successful social media content strategy. Seeing real people review and use products and services helps to build trust and stronger relationships between brands and consumers.

However, a bigger change in 2025 will be the rise of employee-generated content. Younger generations (especially gen Z) are increasingly concerned about the accountability of brands which goes for how they treat their employees.

Many brands are sharing more and more employee perspectives, and celebrating the individual as well as collective milestones of their workforce. 

Here’s a nice example from Salesforce. Besides the inspiring story, the use of photos is intentional here. They combined a personal photo (presumably from a holiday) with a team photo to create a better sense of the employee whose story they’re sharing. 

LinkedIn is having a moment

For years, LinkedIn was considered a professional networking platform and nothing more. People shared professional milestones, job opportunities and occasional industry insights.

Nowadays, LinkedIn looks a lot more personal, as people share real-life stories and experiences connected to their professional and personal lives. 

Sharing of media (photos, videos, memes, etc.) is also becoming a lot more common, and is bound to grow in 2025. 

Of course, LinkedIn is still dominated by B2B brands, but in 2025 there’s a place for everyone. Get personal, get social, and make sure you keep an active presence on LinkedIn. 

2024 trends that are here to stay

Just in case you missed it, here are some of the top social media trends from last year, that will still resonate in 2025! 

Social commerce

Social media ecommerce is expected to grow annually by 36% between 2023 and 2030, reaching a penetration rate of 24% in 2025. 

Facebook is the most trusted social commerce platform. Aside from Instagram and YouTube, you should definitely consider Pinterest, as in 2023 close to a third of shoppers made a purchase on this platform.

Graphics for dark mode

According to the latest stats, a staggering 99% of social media users access it on their phones to access social media, and over 80% of them prefer dark mode. The conclusion? Your social media design must be optimized for dark mode.

So, how can you do this? Well, first you need to understand the primary reasons why people use dark mode, namely battery savings, and reducing eye strain. In that respect, one of the key social media graphic design trends is also utilizing colors that are less straining to look at, such as dark colors and neutrals.

Another way to jump on this current trend is to use dual color schemes, which allows you more flexibility, while still ensuring your designs look equally good in dark as well as light mode.

Motion graphics

While videos can be awesome, they’re not always easy or even appropriate to make (e.g. it can be tricky to shoot funny behind-the-scenes videos if you’re a remote SaaS company). That’s where motion graphics come in!

Simply put, motion graphic design is animated graphic design. Although it’s essentially the same as animation the difference comes down to complexity: animation usually involves a complex storyline and is often longer, while motion graphics are short bits of, often animated text or animation of simple shapes and forms. That’s why it’s ideal for use in the social media/digital marketing sphere.

You can create fully animated posts, or simply add motion design elements for more visual interest or even just to have a better reach - for example, the latest reports suggest that Reels have a higher reach than other forms of content. And since you can't post GIFs on Instagram, even animated images will appear as Reels.

Custom illustrations

On the other hand, AI is (still) far away from the limitless possibilities of human creativity. And few types of graphic design exhibit it as well as custom illustrations.

Stock photos still have a place in modern design and marketing, but they ought to be used sparingly and always together with custom design. However, if you really want to stand out on social media, creating custom illustrations for your brand is the way to go.

Of course, this can be an obvious choice for visually-heavy platforms, such as Instagram and Pinterest. But custom illustrations can be

One of my favorite examples is the YouTube channel School of Life. Their custom illustrated thumbnails always draw my attention as they really stand out against most thumbnails that have people in them.

Asymmetric layouts

In line with the general trend of keeping authentic and creative, here’s another 2024 social media design trend that is here to stay.

Instead of picture-perfect Instagram themes, and symmetrical, geometric layouts, change things up with different layouts and formats. 

Nike’s Instagram is a great example to learn from. Notice the different perspectives and color schemes that give this business account a truly modern and exciting look. 

Anti-design

Although most of us understand that a lot of social media is curated, authenticity is still regarded very highly for brands utilizing social media marketing. In the world of social media design, this might mean stepping away from the usual polished look of post design and daring to be a little different.

Anti-design is one of the most important current trends in graphic design. It refers to a deliberate departure from polished and meticulously curated designs, instead embracing a raw, unpolished, and sometimes even gritty approach.

By embracing anti-design, brands and individuals can create a refreshing and honest online presence that breaks through the noise, connects on a deeper level with their audience, and cultivates a sense of trust and authenticity.

Interactive content

Interactive content has become a popular social media design trend due to its ability to captivate audiences, drive engagement and create memorable brand experiences. Here are a few reasons why interactive content stands out:

Interactive content encourages active participation from users, going beyond passive consumption. It also breaks the monotony of traditional static posts and offers a refreshing and entertaining experience.

But it’s not all about the user experience either. Interactive content often includes quizzes, polls, surveys, and interactive forms that enable brands to gather valuable data about their audience. This data can be leveraged for personalized marketing campaigns, targeted messaging, and tailored recommendations, leading to improved customer satisfaction and loyalty.

However, bear in mind that well-performing interactive content should always be zero-click. This means you should prioritise interactive content that allows users to stay on a platform rather than, e.g. follow a link or head to a different social account.

Conclusion

While it’s important to stay trendy, it’s even more vital to stay true to your brand. When choosing what are the best social media trends to follow, be sure to consider your audience and your usual tone of voice. 

If you need help designing trendy graphics for your social media look no further than our own unlimited design service! You can get all your social media design, along with any other projects (web design, illustrations, and more) for a flat monthly rate.

Have questions? We’d love to chat with you!